10 TIIE OMAHA DAILY BEE: SATURDAY. MARCII 23, 1903. Tiie Omaiia Daily Bee. K. ROSE WATER,, EDITOR. PUBLISHED "EVIRT MORNINO. too . 160 . 1 50 . 1.00 ?0 ..120 TERMS Or SUBSCRIPTION. Dally Bee (without Sunday), one year...fjO fially IW and Sunday, one year JrJJ Illustrated lie, one year B'indjy Bee, one year P:urdy Bee, one year Twentieth Century Farmer, one year DELIVERED BT CARRIER. Dally Bee (without Sunday), per copy . Tiailv Re (without Sunday). Der week Dally Bee (including Sunday), per week..I7o Sunday Bee. per copy Jc Kvenlnir Be (without Sunday), per week 10 Evening; Be (Including Sunday), per week '.IJo Complaints of Irregularis In delivery should be addressed to City Circulation De partment. OFFICES. Omaha The Bee Bulldtn. Bouth Omaha City riall building-. Twenty fifth and M streets. Council Bluffs 10 Pearl street. Chlrao-li Unity building. New York-fa Park Row building. Washington 601 Fourteenth street. CORRESPONDENCE. Communications relating to new and edi torial matter should be addressed,: Omaha Bee, Editorial Department. REMITTANCES. Remit by draft, express or postal order, payable to The Bee Publishing Company. Only 2-cent stamps received In payment of mail accounts. Personal checks, except on Omaha or eastern exchanges, not accepted. THE BEB PUBLISHING! COMPANY. STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION State of Nebraska, Douglas County, sa.: Cieorge B. Tsschuck. secretary of The Bee Publishing Company, being duly sworn, say that the actual number of full and complete copies of The Dally, Morning, Evening and Sunday Bee printed during the momn oi etruary, lw, was aa I.. ......2T.ua i St7,ftOO t 28,000 ... aoySoo I ao.ioo I... ....87,710 I Sf.ttUO t XTXMJ I 2S.4TO 10 27,T:iO u ao,ato II 80,430 13 . SI7,UOO' U a7,W50 15 ST.2 1 ST.BSO 17 88,1.00 U 3O.U60 11 ao.aoo tO S7.0BO a ST.tiB jU ST, (WO 2 27,540 (4 28.1MI 14 30,130 2d o,ibo 27 27.MO 28 27,720 Total 7P&.03O , Less unsold copies ... 10,401 Net total salee Daily average . f MO.OtW GEO. B. TZSCHUCK. Subscribed In my presence and sworn to . .1.1. ... j .: .. . . l. iSeaU M. li. H UNGATE, Notary Public. It is barely possible the March lion Is only getting his second wind. Jules Verne Is dead. His reputation as a story teller will live forever. Like many another man who has had "nothing to arbitrate" President Castro may find that he has less to fight for. If these revelations continue some manufacturers will show their good ludgment by advertising "no prize granted at St Louis." The remarks by the trial Judge at Bherldan show that Colonel Cody was wise in starting for Europe before the divorce case came to a close. Colorado proposes to make "Columbus day'f a holiday, but, then Christopher might have refused to discover America . if be could have foreseen Colorado. With no desire to precipitate an argu ment, it may be said- that- Christian .Science treatment never resulted la giv ing the wrong medicine by mistake. If our county commissioners will digest a few of The Bee's tablets on county expenses they may be able to devise a plan for the reduction- of county taxes. Germany says it will trust the United States in tho Santo Domingo affair; but then it is never the big dogs which cause the trouble when there are little ones In the pack. Any one who knows anything about any $5,000 pot which wag to go to any members of he Nebraska state senate will please step forward and state what he knowg. ' ' ' "' ' " If Santo Domingo and Venezuela should conclude to pool thjelr armies they might make almost as much trouble as Sitting Bull did before he became n good Indian. South Omaha's boast of its compara tively small bonded debt will not stand long If the, real estate speculators who have park land and city ball sites to unload are given free swing. QCtSTIOIt OF MORS REYtXCK. It Is indicated that the next congress will probably have to consider the ques tion of raising more revenue, unless there should be a material red Action In the government expenses.' It appears to be practically assured that the subject of tariff revision will come before the fifty-ninth congress, an Investigation to be made In the meantime to ascertain the views of Interests affected by the tariff. Already 8enator Allison, of the senate finance committee, has conferred with representatives of trade Interests In New York In reirard to a revision of tariff schedules, this being entirely v in formal. Later on the congressional committee charged with, the duty of making an Investigation will take up the work and obtain the opinions of mauu facturers and others throughout the country. It Is suggested that the Imposition of a duty on coffee may be considered by the next congress, but while a consld erable revenue could be thus raised, It Is hardly probable that any tax will be placed upon coffee, because a duty on that article would be certain to arouse a great deal of popular resentment. An other suggestion Is that In order to make up the deficiency In revenue through re duction of certain tariff schedules some of the least obnoxious of the Internal revenue taxes Imposed during the war-j with Spain might be revived. To do this wonld undoubtedly also cause rood deal of dissatisfaction and a revival of war taxes In time or peace would be rather difficult to Justify to the satis faction of the public. It is thus apparent that a somewhat perplexing situation will confront the new congress. There Is unquestionably a very strong feeling in the country fa vorable to tariff revision, or at Jeast a modification of some of the schedules. It may be doubted if a majority of the people desire this, but the number who do is large and they are not confined to the opposition to the party In power. It Is quite safe to say, however, that a republican congress, If It make any changes in the tariff, will not do so to such an extent as to materially reduce the revenue from that source. Of course the principle of protection will be main tained. So long as the republican party Is In control of the government we shall have a tariff under which the develop ment of our Industries can go on and the standard of living of American workmen be maintained. A revision of the tariff that still preserved Its protec tive character would not necessarily re sult In reducing revenue. It might cheapen manufactured products to the home consumer and the pertinent ques tion. Is whether or not this reduction In price would come out of the labor em ployed In the Industries. The fifty-ninth congress will be ex pected to reduce expenditures wherever It Is practicable to do so without Impair Ing the efficiency of the public service. If It does not then It must provide for more revenue. It Is a very plain situa tion, which must be dealt with on busi ness principles. . The real Intensity of the feeling of the New York Sun on the subject of lalssea fahe may be seen from the fact that It is quoting former Governor Til den against Senator LaFollette. Delaware has abolished the pillory, but it abolition can never be made to apply In the case of Mr. Addlcks, who will be pilloried until his last vote for United States senator Is extinguished. Why can't the building Inspector, the Board of Public Works or the police In duce the owners of frame houses on wheels that are obstructing some of our public thoroughfares to move ou? Canadian shipbuilders are now asking for a government bounty ou ships built in the Dominion. Is it possible the United States has been mistaken In re gard to "cheap Canadian products" all thla time? . If we are to have any railway regula tion measures enacted for the relief of Nebraska shippers, the two branches of the legislature will have to get together and get together quickly without any further fooling. . Iowa newspapers are Just now begin ning to speculate as to what laws the next legislature will pass. The specu lative period has About come to an end In Nebraska and tie courts will later de termine Just what laws the legislature of this state really did pass. The South Omaha market la still way behind last year In receipts of cattle anl sheep, although a little ahead In receipts of hogs. The figures, however, seem to be, getting better right along, and barring setbacks the market ought to catch up with the record before the year la end), TRUSTS CRIMISAL IX OHIO. Ohio has one of the most stringent anti-trust laws in the country and the supreme court of that state has Just de cided that the criminal section of the act is constitutional, the civil section having some time ago been passed upon as constitutional. The law defines a trust to be any combination of capital, skill or acts by two or mdre persons, firms, partnerships corporations or as sociations of persons, or any two or more of them, for any, either or all of the purposes prohibited. The alms and acta forbidden include the creating or carrying out of restrictions upon trade or commerce, the limiting or reduction of tho production of any commodity, or the control of the price of merchandise. It is forbidden to prevent competition in making, selling, buying or transporting any commodity, also to fix and main tain any price wlflch might operate as a check upon production or traffic. It la made a crime to enter Into any agree ment or contract, obligation or under standing, whereby persons, companies, etc., Interested are bound not to traffic In merchandise below a certain price level, or do anything calculated to pre vent entire freedom of trade, or place any restraint upon competition In busi ness, of whatever kind. ' The penalties provided for the viola tion of the law include the forfeiture of the charters or franchises of the guilty corporations, and it Is also made a mis demeanor to own or Issue trust certifi cates, fines being provided for this run ning from f50 to $ 1,000 for every such offense. Persons, corporations, firms or associations violating the law and injur ing the business of any person are made liable for damages in civil actions to double the amount of the damages shown and for the costs of the suit All this is of little account, however, re marks the Cleveland Leader, In the view of trust magnates by comparison with the very, searching and comprehensive sections of the law which make any per son guilty of violating or aiding In vio lating the statute liable to a fine of not less than $50 or more than $5,000 and imprisonment for not less than six months or more than one year, or both fine and imprisonment together. It is also provided that each and every day's violation of the act shall be a separate offense, for the purposes of the statute. It Is this criminal section of the law which the state supreme court has de clared constitutional, thus Riving the state the full benefit of one of the most stringent anti-trust statutes ever en acted. Anti-trust legislation by the states has for the most part been futile, owing to the faulty character of the statutes. With few exceptions these laws have been Judicially condemned, either by state or federal courts. The Ohio law would seem to be a good model for the other states and now that Its validity has been affirmed by the highest tribunal of that state It would seem well for other commonwealths provisions. to examine Its THE DODO & AiSKSDMtST. The proposed amendment 'to the con stltutlon Introduced by Representative Dodge and recommended for passage in the lower house has all the earmarks of an lugenious scheme to eliminate from our present constitution provisions vital to the exercise of effective rail way 'regu lation. The proposed elective railway commission, empowered to enforce rail way regulation laws, Is, doubtless, prcf erable to an appointive commission created by legislative act, but the crea tion of an elective railroad commission with exclusive power over railway regn latlon and railway rates Is an expert ment that will not commend Itself to the people of Nebraska in the light of the experience of other states, notably the experience of California, whose const! tution vests ail the railway regulating powers In an elective commission. It Is a matter of history that all the California commissions from 1875 to the present day have been controlled by the Pacific railroads, and the legislatures of California have been In no position to afford relief because they had been Shorn of all power to fix rates or to punish extortion or discrimination. This was the view taken by the people of Ne braska when they rejected the constitu tional amendment modeled after the Cal ifornia experiment, and It Is almost a foregone conclusion that they would re ject the Dodge amendment In the form In which the house has recommended It for passage. The mere fact that the recognized champions of the railroads on the floor of the house have opposed the Dodge amendment affords no 'proof that the railroads are against It. On the con trary, the opposition of these spokesmen for the railroads may be part of a shrewd program to get the friends of honest railway regulation to support the measure. The fact that Mr. Dodge op posed the commodity rate bi.'l leaves room for suspicion, at least, that his proposed amendment is designed to side track regulation that would give some relief to Nebraska producers by substi tuting a measure that would, If it be comes part of our constitution, bar the legislature from exercising powers now conferred upon it The most dangerous part of the Dodge amendment is the proposition to repeal section 7 of article xi of our constitu tion, which reads as follows: The legislature shall pass laws to Cor rect abuses and prevent unjust discrimina tion and extortion in all charges of ex press, telegraph and railroad companies of this state and enforce such laws by ade quate penalties to the extent, If necessary for that purpose, of forfeiture of their property and franchises. The Dodge amendment makes this section read as follows: The legislature shall provide by law for the enforcement of the powers and au thority of the State Board of Railroad Commissioners, which powers shall extend over all railroad, express, telegraph and car companies operating within the state. There is as much difference between the existing section 7 and the Dodge section as there Is between a horse chest nut and a chestnut horse. Section 7 of the present constitution makes it man datory upon the legislature to correct abuses and prevent unjust discrimina tion and extortion by providing penal ties that may go so far as to forfeit the franchise of a railway which deliberately violates its provision; the Dodge amend ment relegates the people of Nebraska to the tender mercies of a railroad com mission without recourse. It may be argued that the power con ferred on the legislature to forfeit the charters of railroads is so drastic that it could not be enforced, because It con travenes the vested rights of railway corporations. On thjs score the right of the state to enforce the most severe penalties it could Inflict on a railway corporation was affirmed more than forty 'years ago by the supreme court of Pennsylvania In the famous case of the Erie & Northeastern Railroad against Casey. It was held by this high tribunal that the legislature could de clare a forfeiture of its corporate crea tures for the abuse or misuse of cor porate privileges and that offense was defined tfs follows: Misuse or abuse of corporate privileges consists tn any positive act In violation of the charter or In derogation of the pub lic right, wilfully done or caused to be done by those appointed to manage the general concerns of the corporation. Manifestly the fromers of our consti tution, among whom were such eminent Jurists as Samuel Maxwell, Charles F. Manderson, W. II. Munger, Clinton Briggs, Jefferson H. Broady, S. B. Pound, M. L. Ilayward, Charles II Brown, M. B. Reese, S. H. Calhoun, A. II. Cdnner, R. F. Stevenson, A. J. Weaver and John L. Webster, fully understood the pur port and import of the provisions em bodied in section 7 of article U, and no attempt on the part of the present legis lature to abrogate the powers conferred on the legislature by this section Is likely to meet popular approval. The assertion of Mr. Dodge that Iowa Is twenty-four years ahead of Nebraska in railway regulation by reason of hav? Ing a commission does not square up with the facts. Nebraska had been blessed by railroad commissions and state boards of transportation for many years, but they lamentably failed to re dress notorious grievances, not because of lack cf power, but for lack of the will, because they w ere mere adjuncts of the railroad machine. Iowa has, moreover, not abdicated all Its powers of regulation to commissions, but has reserved and exercised from time to time regulative and restrictive powers over public carriers through the legisla ture whenever Iowa railroad commis sions have become too subservient to the roads. the commissioners Is an Indication that the people appreciate good work on the commission and should make good men willing to take the places. Omaha once had a municipal court, but before the Judge' appointed to ad minister it got comfortably settled in their berths an Iconoclastic supreme court knocked the law creating It higher than Gllroy's kite. Of course no such fate awaits the tew Juvenile court, but still the supreme court may want to have something to say as to how far Its authority may Intrude on the constitu tional Judicial tribunals. Within forty-eight hours of his eleo tlon to the United States senate Major Warner received more than BOO letters, among which were a score of annual passes over eastern lines of railroad, which only goes to showMbat the rail road magnates and political office seek ers both realize that the early bird catches the worm. In instructing the farmers In the Im portance of the use of pure seed, Ne braska railroad managers are rendering the state an Invaluable service for which they are entitled to much credit A. man who makes two blades of grass grow where only one grew before Is a human benefactor.' Take Your Choice. Baltimore American. Now the chief of the bureau of chera istry declares that science Is so adding to human life that the period of ordinary ac tlvlty will not be forty, but ninety years, The general public is now free to take either hope or chloroform, according which theory they favor. to The State Needs the Honey, Philadelphia Press. The insurance commissioner of Alabem has found a new way of making money. He Issues what he calls the Alabama In aurance Directory and then calls on the Insurance companies to subscribe for Its free circulation. As he has power to make trouble foi them they naturally sub' scribe liberally for his book. Judicial flamor. Chicago Chronicle. It has been supposed that, the court of claims was the dreariest and driest place In the United Statea, but the Judges are not without a sense of humor. Greene and Oaynor are suing the government for $710, 000 alleged to b due them on their con tracts. The court has ordered that the suit be suspended till the contractors come In and testify. They are in Canada tryln to avoid extradition proceedings. Premature Boom Ing-. Baltimore American. It is pretty early for a line-up of presl dentlal candidates for 1908. There is not only the danger that the candidate who gets on the track so early may be over trained or develop a bad sprain, but every dark horse Is thereby given an opporunity to study his pace. When 1908 arrives may prove a neat year for favorites, but most of the old-time observers who have watched the movements on many presiden tlal quarter stretches will not think quite safe to make a book on the 1908 en tries so far ahead. The Hlgrh Tide of Immigration. Baltimore American. 1 - The immigration to this country during the last month broke the February record for a quarter of a century, and that the Incoming tide Is a constantly rising one indicated by the March figures of Immlrra tlon now available. There were 7,000 new comers landed in New Tork on Monday alone; and other ships now bound for that port will bring the total arrivals for the current week to approximately SS.OOQ. This increasing flow Indicates that there may be an excess of 1,090,000 added to the popula. tlon thla year from immigration growth alone. The country Is big and lsa a yet condensed only In spots and can cafe for 100,000 or so every month if they can be properly distributed. TJnlted Yet Divided. Minneapolis Times. A bill was recently Introduced in the Ne braska legislature for the annexation of Bouth Omaha to Omaha. On the face of tne returns the annexation would make one large city out of two fair slaed towns. As a matterof fact, there is praotloally no inaiviuuai line between the two cities. so far as the continuity of houses, business establishments and residences are con cerned. Bouth Omaha, however, did not iook at tne matter in that light, but In stated on maintaining her separate organ! xuuun. inereiore a lobby was sent to Lincoln to take charge of the matter. neaaeu. by a brass band, several hundred men ana women invaded the legislature. and the most effective lobby of the season secured the assassination of the obnoxious measure. CRIPPLED BY COMPETITION. On Trust Maintain It If we must have an enlarged supreme court commission, the commissioners should be selected with the greatest care nd with special reference to their quali fications for the work. The fact that two of the present supreme Judges have been promoted by popular vote from 1'nanle to Monopoly, Kansas City Star. The recent reduction in the dividend of the Corn Products company furnishes an Interesting minor episode in the history of trusts, mis combination of concerns man ufacturing corn product was organized three years ago and had been paying auar terly dividends of Hi per cent on the pre. ferred stock. Thla week the directors an nounced that only I per cent would be paid, a reduction of the annual dividend rate from 7 to 4 per cent The explanation Issued by the president of the company to the stockholders says that the depression In business and "in creased competition in the starch and glu cose Industrie," seriously affected the earn Ings o( the subsidiary corporations. In other words, the trust has not been able to maintain an approximate monopoly of the corn products business and so has suf. fered from competition, while the consum ers have undoubtedly benefited frera the resulting lower prices. The experience of this 'particular trust suggests once more the remedy for monop olistic evils that lies In keeping open a fair held for competition. The Corn Products company evidently has been unable to form a close agreement with railroads to prevent competing concerns from receiving Just treatment It has not succeeded la driving rivals out of business by underselling in particular localities and recouping Its losses by high prices in other territory. In this case competition has been able to do Its work In preventing the development of characteristic abuses of monopoly. Great progress would be made In the solution of the trust problem If the people would devote themselves to keeping the field open to competition. That Is what Kansas has wisely attempted to do In the recent oil legislation. The knowledge that unduly high price would bring competition would undoubtedly have a salutary In fluenc on the strongest trust. No on can object to a corporation earn ing a fair return in the capital actually Invested. But In order that this condition may exist the public must And ways to make sure that oompetltlu shall not be stifled. OTHER LASD9 THA OIR9. Much praise ha been given the Russians for their ability to conduct in any manner at all a great campaign at the end of a single track railroad 1.000 miles long. But the Japanese operation of the railroads seised In Manchuria and the military rail road and tramway built In Cores, up the Tain at tho opening of hostilities. Is more remarkable than that which. Russia has accomplished In Siberia. The Japanese took a poorly-built railroad, eaptured from the enemy after having been destroyed as far as possible after tho retreat, changed it from wide to narrow gauge, brought over locomotives and cars from Japan and put the line into shape to carry the supplies and reinforcements for the army of 200,000 besieging Port Arthur, and the other army of 306,000 to 400,000 men 300 miles to the north. They did all this in a few months In all the severity of "midwinter. Port Arthur's fall was due largely to the terrific bom bard men of the 11-Inch gun brought up from Delay on the railroad. Twenty-five of these guns, weighing ten tons each with out their carriages, were placed In the be siegers' forts under fire, and within three week from the surrender they were ham mering the enemy before Mukden, having been brought with Nogl's army of 100,000 men a distance 150 miles on the railroad. ... Egypt Is today a land of elegance and of luxury Just as, according to the assurances of Dr. Petrle, it was 8,000 year ago. . A re cent news Item from Cairo states that the Egyptian season Is now at Its height and travelers from every land, and especially from America, are swarming to the one time realm of the Pharoahs. Magnificent modern hotels have been built theaters, opera houses, railway stations. The preten tiousness of modern architecture Is begin ning to match conclusions with the splendid ruins of mlllenlums. Egypt Is Just as gay as ever It was, whether In the day of Cleo patra or at a time two or three thousand years further back, when Abydos or Mem phi was the- center of luxury and fashion. The modern splendors of Egypt are largely Imported, and the social life along the Nile, while quite as gorgeous, la perhaps less ex clusive than It was 4,000 years ago. Dem ocratic Ideas are somewhat modifying man ners and Institutions, even In the land of the Pharaoahs. The khedlve and his gov ernment Is a minor essential In modern Egyptian civilisation. It Is really the wealthy foreigners who are shaping events In the Nile valley. What purports to, be an authentic docu ment has Just been Issued relating to the social and economic conditions in Russia. It contains some statements that may ex plain some of the unsettled state of affairs In the great empire. According to figures contained- In this statement, there are more than 22,000 women employed on the Russian railway lines, at an avcrnge salary of $05 a year. It Is asserted that the employment embracea nenrly every line of railway work, from the section hand to the tele graph operator and station agent. The statement will cause considerable wonder in this country, and the question most fre quently asked will be, "How do they live on such wages T" One answer to the ques tion applies to similar queries concerning the people of other European countries. The husbands, wives and children are all bread winners, the total earnings going to the common fund for the support of the family, a, total that Is usually less than that earned by the average American work in gman. It has been stated that the stand ard of a national life is fixed by the status of Its women. Measured by this rule, it is not a cause for wonder that the. husbands and sons of these Russian women are dis satisfied with their lot, ready even for revolution in the hope of bettering their conditions of life. Denmark has a society for the extermina tion of rats, and Its operations are con sidered to be of so' much importance that Berlin Is on the point of adopting them aa a corrective of an invasion of that animal from which It has recently suffered. They appeared In certain sections of the capital In such numbers that they became a real burden to the Inhabitants, and In the hope of relief a . municipal decree was passed offering a bounty of 10 pfennigs for every rat's tall delivered. The creatures seem to come and go in swarming multitudes, to which no effective check has so far been found, though their visitations in such numbers do not normally last long, and so far as any individual locality Is concerned are very Infrequent. It is not likely that Hamelln has had another plague of rats since the time' when the Pled Piper of imperishable memory delivered It from the first one to be recorded of It. Binoe tho rat has been medically declared to ee a bearer of Infectious diseases Increased ef forts have been made for his destruction, but so far he seems to survive them all and to show no abatement of his constitu tional vigor. An International league for his suppression has been proposed, bring ing all the resources of science to bear upon the work, and this may be able to effect some useful results. rOMTICAL, DRIFT. Secretary Taft will wield the gavel at the Ohio republican convention, May IS. Major William Warner, senator-elect from Missouri, waa born In Wisconsin 66 years ago. The mysterious stranger from Missouri landed the senatorial prise at an expense of 138. A democratlo victory In Bangor, Me., the first In thirty years, Is sa Inspiring rift In the party clouda. Th Rockefellers got a hard fall from their neighbors In the defeat of their ticket In North Tarrytown, N. Y. The courts of Allegheny, Pa., checked an epidemic of graft by convicting the chief of police and th street commissioner. Rhode Island's legislature, without vocal fireworks, passed a bill prohibiting the sale of fireworks on the Fourth of July. Indiana aspirants for the presidency scored a point by the selection of a New man for chairman of the republican na tional committee. Reports In Chicago papers show that Hlnky Dink Is again running for alderman. The noise made about his candidacy Indi cates that Hlnky Is a dangerous political mini.. ' "When Leslie M. Bhaw of Iowa retires from President Roosevelt's cabinet, either In June or February," says the New York Bun, "he Is to be succeeded as secretary of the treasury by George B. Cortelyou of New York, now postmaster general." The progress of reform In Pennsylvania Is well Illustrated by the fact that as the Law and Order society of Philadelphia has become too troublesome in Its suppression of political favorites the legislature is pro ceeding triumphantly towards the enact ment of a law which will suppress the Law and Order society. Two full-blooded Indians are members of the Maine house of representatives. The elder, Peter M. Nelson, belongs to the his toric Penobscot tribe, the remnants of which to the number of about 3fl0 ,oecupy an island. Peter F. Neptune, the other red skinned legislator. Is of the Passama quoddy tribe. Both are fairly educated men. They occupy a rather unique position In the Maine legislature. They are allowed to sit in the assembly, occupying two seats In the extreme corners of the rear of the house, but are permitted no vote or voice In the presentation or furtherance of meas ures. By reason of this they escape the Importuning and button-holing of the lob byists that biennially swoop down upon the lawmakers. Improves the flavor and adds to the health fulness of the food. Letters from Russia in some of the VI enna newspapers maw a vivia picture or the anxieties of the unlucky csarina In the present national crisis. She Is represented as exposed to a constant strain by day and night. Much of her time Is occupied in consoling her husband, and In inspiring him with courage. Bhe prepares food for him, as he Is in constant tear of poison, and assists at every detail of his toilet, since he mistrusts every act of his ser vants; she superintends the tailor and tha laundress as well a th barber, and at' tends to every want of her Infant son. whom she rears herself. Formerly she left but little for th nurse to do, now, It Is said, she scarcely allows the female at tendants to approach the child's cradle. The czar is reported to have a greater fear for his son than for himself. . He fears that the loss of his heir, whom he so long vainly expected, would cause the outbreak of a revolution In every corner of the env plre, even among conservatives, and on this account everyone In any way con nected with the Imperial family la sur rounded by hosts of spies, who are watched in their turn. Suspicion Is followed not by Investigation of the suspect, but by his prompt removal. A similar condition, it Is said, prevails In the palaces of the grand dukes. Th St. Petersburg census taken two years ago showed a population of a trill over 1,500,000. Of these about one-third are unable to . read or writ. Four-fifths, roughly speaking, are Catholics of th Greek, rite; of Jew there are only 1 per cent, and of Roman Catholics only t per cent. Of th population, 40 per cent are peasant and 80 per cent householders. There are fcO.000 workmen on wage, with upward of 17,000 employers. There are 42s churcbe and four state theater. Th principal manufacture are gobelin tapes. trie, glass, porcelain, surgical Instruments, articles of malachite, embroideries, textile, leather, paper, copper, iron, machinery, ete. It's health table show the lowest mortality of, all European cltie. Nearly aU of Its growth has been within th last century, but it progres has been nothing like that of many other continental cltlea, some of which have more than doubled their population with each generation In that period ' Disease Trad Talon. CHICAOO. March 4. Th chief ubjecl nder dlacusslon at today's sesalon of th nnual convention of the National Metiil radea' association was progress mad in opposing evil of trade uniwolsm. WHY SOLDIERS DESERT. Actual Condition Somewhat Differ ent from Poster Pictures. Kansas City Journal. The number of desertions among enlisted men In the army and navy of the Unllcd States Is unpleasantly large. Officers have devoted much time and study to Investigat ing the causes of this trouble, but no satis factory explanation has yet been given. It la admitted on all hands that; the American soldier Is paid more liberally, Is better fed and clothed and is treated leas severely than the fighting men of any other nation. Nobody who wears the blue Is drafted and forced Into the service of his country. He enters as a volunteer, and if he deserts, he certainly 1 not driven to that danger ous step by cruelty, oppression or hard and Intolerable work. The American soldier has, In fact, rather an easy time of it. The laws protect him from all corpdral punishment except, in carceration In the guard house. He Is not required to do menial service for officers or fellow men. All he does is . to eat, sleep, drill, do a little police duty once a day and travel around a great deal. For a nice. quiet, easy Job with everything found, soldiering In the United State army can't he beat And yet there are desertions by the score. Whenever a ship comes Into port or a battalion changes Its post there Is sure to be some one who doe not answer at roll call in- the morning. ' " . , The habit of taking French leave la dam aging to the moral of the army and navy, so the officers are trying to break It up. This, of course, can best be done by find ing out tho cause' and eradicating it. Per haps a clue to tho trouble lies In the con fession of a deserter who was caught In this city the other day. He said that the highly colored poster which tha recruiting officer stick up on the billboard, and the fin talk and other device employed to tempt recruits into th service ax largely based cn false representations. This de serter said he was led to believe that when he enlisted he would be dressed up In feathers and gold braid and have th privi lege of riding occasionally on a prancing charger before the admiring gase of all ob servers at home and In foreign lands. When he Joined the service, however, be found actual conditions to be far different, and o being grievously disappointed at the humdrum affair h "lit out." Perhaps the confession of thla deserter explains th cause of th trouble, for in truth the poster banging up around re cruiting office appear to be somewhat overdrawn. They look' like lithographs borrowed from a fake circus. They are to some extent a fraud, and their gaudy colors do not become tho dignity of tha United State government If they were taken down, it is probable ihat the army and th navy would no longer be bothered by tha class of men to which th deaerter abov belong. A MIGHTY DISISK. Traffic, Earnings and Employe American Railroad. Portland Oregonlan. It Is estimated that there nic 650.000 mile of railroad In the world, of which 20.000 miles, or nearly two-fifths, are In th United Statea. The gross earnings from op eration of our rnllronda In the last fiscal year were fl. 900.000,000. Of this J1.35A.OOO.O0O oame from freight, $150,000,000 from passen gers and $100,000,000 from mails, express, etc. Th railroad companies further earned about $40,000.0(0 from a great variety of In cidental services. This Income was divided In tho following manner: Operating ex penses. $1,150,000,000; taxes, $)o,ooo.ox; Inter est on bonds and debts, $?7B.O0O.0o0; divi dends, $lfl5,000,000; surplus, $190,000,000. It will thus be seen that the dividend represented about S per cent of the gross Income, while the surplus was devoted to the re newal and Improvements of plant. Tha number of persons employed reached tho prodigious total of 1,300,000, against a rounf 1,000,000 so employed In the fiscal year end- Intf June 1300. The romrtertsntlon naJd X last year to these employes wns $757,000,000. . against $577,000,000 thus paid In the fiscal year of 1900. In this Interval of four years there was an Increase of SO per cent In tha number employed and an increase of 31 per cent In the remuneration given, this in crease being almost entirely in the pay of the wage-earners. On Englich roads a Ilk Increase of the pay of workers Is noted) v but there Is no such increase of tonnage aa on the American ronds. LAIOHISO GAS. "Pa." "What is It 7" "Why do they refer to that uncut tim ber as' 'the virgin foreat?' " "Why er because It's never been axed, I guess. Quit asking questions." Phila delphia Press. "I notice that Russia is groaning under a debt of $3,000,000.0(0." "Isn't that foolish? Why doesn't she let the other fellows do th groaning?'1 Cleve land Plain Dealer "How do you Ilk your government posi tion?" "I'm greatly disappointed. I have to work as hard to nil the plac as I did to get it" Washington Star. "Are you having any trouble In settling; your grandfather's estate?" "Not at all. Grandfather was a lawyer, he had reformed, he had no property worth, . fighting over, and he divided it among hi heirs before ha died." Chicago Tribune. "Henpeck's wife thought he was a goner, but the doctor managed to save him. Lit erally dragged him out of th Jaws of death." ' "Huh!" snorted Joke!ey,out of the Jaws of death back to the Jaws of life." Phila delphia Ledger. "It's alj right, I suppose, for a woman to make'an hour glass of herself If she want to be In fashion," observed Uncle Allen Sparks, "but her sands of life will run out a good deal quicker." Chicago Tribune. Mrs. DeStyle Babette. It Is taking you a long time to find my hairpins. The French Maid I baf found sent now, madame. Mrs. DeStyle Then why don't you go ahead and dress me? Th French Maid I hav now lost s hair. Cleveland Leader. "I A FALLEN IDOy Chicago Chronicle. Buffalo Bilt, We take it HI That you so proud and haughty, Have such a fad For things so bad And act so awful . naughty. Buffalo Bill, You are a pill , And you are much to blame, lr. You're raising Ned Go hide your head ' And blush for very shame, ir. Buffalo Bill, You should keep still And not stir up such troubla, For fame Is brief And, to your grief, 'Twill burst Juat like a bubble. Buffalo Bill, We take It 111 That you should so unbrldl And take a Jump And, like a chump, Become a fallen idoL Browning, Ming & Co CLOTHING, FURNISHINGS, AND BATS Let Us Show You not fashion blind you will appreciate the styles of our spring hats. The new shapes are all here and are as right as can be. Think of the newness you can add Jo your appearance with one of our hats $2.50.$3.$3.50-$4 "Tb Knapp-Felt Derby" bast mad a, 6. 09 "Somi me it" $aid Beau Brummel, "art ujlor blind, others fashion blind." Fifteenth and Douglas St$ Broadway at Stud Street NEW OMAIIA NEB. YORK ' Factory, Cooper Square House of Quality and Riht Prices W don't belist you believe what w say is oot so advertised? Yes, some bv ourselves. Considerably by our competitors. Splendlly by f" our customers, 1 Wo work for required results. Price Is a secondary matter. W bavo pot and want quality trad It pay us, it pays them. Give us your eon- I ( fidenoe; we will see that you profit by ii.